The Alibaba Cloud x KrASIA Global Startup Accelerator Philippines Demo Day was held in person for the first time in Manila on July 27 at Draper Startup House Manila.
Ten finalists pitched their ideas to a panel of judges including Foo Tiang Lim, partner and co-founder of Forge Ventures; Catrina Magsadia, analyst at Foxmont Capital Partners; Katrina Chan, executive director of Ideaspace/QBO; Cristian Munoz, founder of Draper Startup House Manila; and Patrick Signo, head of strategic accounts for the Philippines, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence.
The event kicked off with an address from Signo, who affirmed Alibaba Cloud’s commitment to the Philippines and the initiatives they have been working on since the launch of a local data center in October last year.
This was followed by a panel discussion moderated by Paolo Rentero, co-founder of Techshake, on how local startups based in the Philippines can draw the attention of investors in the wider Southeast Asia region. The panel was bullish on the rise of local startups and believes the momentum will only get stronger as the ecosystem attracts new talent.
After the finalists presented their pitches and fielded questions as part of the Q&A segment, the judges deliberated and announced On Demand Deals as the Asia Star of the Demo Day.
On Demand Deals is a social commerce platform that allows people to create convenience stores within their homes and helps them sell and deliver products to customers.
CEO Fernando Ramos was excited about the win and thankful for the experience to pitch to the judging panel. “This Demo Day was an amazing experience to learn about the Philippine startup ecosystem through the ten startup finalists and the judges, all of whom play a part in the community’s growth,” Ramos said.
Signo was happy with the event and remarked on the potential of the Philippine startups, “The demo day was a huge success, showcasing the caliber of talent among all the participants. Each group presented industry relevant solutions that would seek to drive a paradigm shift into a new era leveraging digital technologies. Aligned to the economic outlook of 6.5% growth in the Philippines, the growing number of entrepreneurs in the country will only add to this projection.”
Here are the other startups that made their pitches at the event:
Eskwelabs is a data upskilling school which helps people and teams find better work in the digital age.
Soltera Energy is a cleantech startup that uses AI-powered technology to monitor, track and control energy consumption as well as provide access to renewable energy sources.
SACHI-Group is the pioneer manufacturer of biodegradable, highly compostable, and sustainable eco-packaging solutions in the Philippines.
Farm Box aims to improve the agricultural performance of farms in the Philippines by providing local farmers with the necessary tools, products, and funds through a simple box.
Smile API provides user-authorized access to valuable employment and income data from HR, payroll, commerce, and marketplace platforms through a single API.
PasaJob is a referral-based job matching platform in the Philippines that rewards referrers for connecting businesses to the right candidates.
RideRadar is a centralized mobile app for users to check on all ride-hailing and delivery service options available.
M203 is a blockchain game development company.
Bitskwela is an edutech platform that strives to make fintech education accessible to all Filipinos.
The Alibaba Cloud x KrASIA Global Startup Accelerator Philippines Demo Day was held on July 27, 2022.